Padmanabhanunni, Anita
and
Edwards, David
2015.
A Case Study of Social Cognitive Treatment of PTSD in a South African Rape Survivor: The Central Role of Case Formulation.
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse,
Vol. 24,
Issue. 2,
p.
174.

Bowyer, Laura
Swanston, Jennifer
and
Vetere, Arlene
2015.
‘Eventually you just get used to it’: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of 10–16 year-old girls’ experiences of the transition into temporary accommodation after exposure to domestic violence perpetrated by men against their mothers.
Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry,
Vol. 20,
Issue. 2,
p.
304.

Padmanabhanunni, Anita
and
Edwards, David
2014.
A Phenomenological Case Study of the Therapeutic Impact of Imagery: Rescripting of Memories of a Rape and Episodes of Childhood Abuse and Neglect.
Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology,
Vol. 14,
Issue. 1,
p.
1.

This paper describes a distinct clinical approach to the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It is theoretically guided by recent cognitive models of PTSD and explicitly combines cognitive therapy techniques within exposure/reliving procedures. A clinically pertinent distinction is made between the cognitions and emotions experienced at the time of the trauma and, subsequently, in flashback experiences, and secondary negative appraisals. The term peritraumatic emotional “hotspot” is used to describe moments of peak distress during trauma. It is argued that a focus on cognitively restructuring these peritraumatic emotional hotspots within reliving can significantly improve the effectiveness of the treatment of PTSD and help explain some treatment failures with traditional prolonged exposure. An approach to the identification and treatment of these hotspots is detailed for a range of cognitions and emotions not limited to fear.